Method and apparatus for managing ownership of virtual property

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing ownership of virtual property accessible to users is provided by a computer-implemented system connected to a network. This method and apparatus further comprises maintaining an inventory of virtual properties, managing ownership of virtual properties, and allowing use of virtual properties by corresponding property owners within corresponding network spaces. In particular, virtual properties are purchased from a system by user computers, wherein virtual properties may be accessed by a user and / or sold or traded to other users which may include auction websites

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 837,852, filed Apr. 18, 2001, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING OWNERSHIP OF VIRTUAL PROPERTY,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 198,490, filed Apr. 18, 2000, each of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entireties.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to the electronic commerce of virtual property. More specifically, this invention pertains to a method and apparatus for conducting electronic business, wherein the merchant manages use, sale, and ownership of virtual property that permanently resides on the merchant's computer system.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]For many years, the global retail market has been characterized as a market in which physical products are sold from physical locations. In recent years, however, this dynami...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Systems for wide-area networks, such as the Internet, are presently limited, however, in the offerings that are made available to businesses and consumers.

Although there is some intrinsic value for these character attributes and objects, there is no market for such virtual property and hence no way to transfer ownership or use.

In general, two issues arise when dealing with virtual property.

First, a business must concern itself with the unauthorized copying of these properties.

By sending a copy of the virtual property to the buyer or subscriber, the merchant loses control of the data, making possible the duplication and distribution of illegal copies of the property, for which the merchant is not compensated.

Second, a business is limited to selling its virtual properties to those consumers with computing resources capable of decoding different types of digital data and capable of storing this data.

With the increasing popularity of the mobile workstation (with limited computing resources), this issue becomes even more prevalent.

Currently, no system exists that allows the purchase and ownership of property rights that are entirely digital in nature and that have no value outside of the digital environment in which they exist.

Furthermore, no system exists where such properties are maintained by the merchant and are not downloaded to the buyer's computer.

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